The best before the best

Been too long since I posted – was busy as heck with a big rewrite, then a proof of the rewrite that turned into more than just a proof, as they always do.

But the manuscript is done and back to my agent, Janet Reid. It’s her problem now. So I’m free to catch up on blogging.

First, I note with pride and shame that I’ve seen 70 movies in theaters this year. (Why pride? Because that’s a new record for me. Why shame? Because it’s clear that I waste too much of my life in movie theaters, eating bad popcorn and drinking $5.25 pink lemonades.)

Despite my track record, there are a bunch more flicks I feel pressured to see in the year’s final 11 days. To wit: Slumdog Millionaire, The Wrestler, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Revolutionary Road, Milk. Blame the Oscars for this foolish annual backloading.

As I gird my loins for the final moviegoing sprint of the year, I thought I’d hit you with my own Top Ten to this point. The following list is in chronological, not qualitative, order, and reflects the dates on which I saw the movies, not their release dates:

Juno

There Will Be Blood

Run Fat Boy Run

Ironman

Redbelt

The Dark Knight

Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist

Sex Drive

Role Models

Rocknrolla

Pretty thin gruel, eh? I thought about including Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian out of sentimentality (I loved the books as a kid – they’re the only ones I saved to pass on to my own children), but it’s hard to love any movie that’s all special effects. For similar reasons, I wasn’t as big a fan of Ironman and The Dark Knight as others were.

Redbelt I had to include because it’s David Mamet, the Last Auteur. Sex Drive, as I noted in a review at the time, stunned me by being a teen-sex-roadtrip flick but possessing, nevertheless, plenty of heart.

My own reaction this list is: Jeez, I saw 70 frigging movies and this is the best Top Ten I can come up with? The Oscar hopefuls mentioned above had better be good.

I know, most folks hate the theater these days. The key is to wait until a flick has been out a few weeks, then see the 12:30 or 1:00pm show on a weekday. Much of the time, I’m the only one in the theater!

I’ve only watched Juno (named a stray cat after her once she decided to get pregnant. still can’t catch her, but we’ll neuter the kitten as soon has he’s old enough), Run Fat Boy (delightful due to Simon Pegg only, I’m thinking), Ironman (yum but not worth buying, I don’t think), and the Dark Knight (Pfft! Yuck!… I know, I know, sacrilege!)

the sad thing is that i’m not sure i can add anything to the list. there really wasn’t that much to wax elephants over. even the ones that were supposed to rock simply sucked.

on the other hand, i cannot match your supreme awesomeness: i did not watch 70 movies. how do you do it, man?!